Hami melons now available year-round thanks to intelligent platform

Photo shows Hami melons. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

The vision of making Hami melons available year-round at last year's high-quality development conference of the Hami melon industry, has now become a reality.

"This year, through coordinated efforts across production regions nationwide, we've established a stable, year-round supply system that allows consumers to enjoy Hami melons 365 days a year," said Mi Tiezhu, director of the germplasm research and development (R&D) center at the Hami melon fresh fruit industry chain platform in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Photo shows creative cultural products themed on Hami melons. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Using the high-quality development conference as a starting point, Hami has built a bridge for industry dialogue, and the Hami melon fresh fruit industry chain platform is reshaping the distribution of China's Hami melon industry.

"It all begins with seeds," said Mi, whose primary base of operations is the intelligent control platform for Hami melon germplasm R&D, which was put into use this year.

"We've created a closed loop connecting sales, R&D, and production, with market demand driving our R&D efforts," Mi added.

Within the phytotron of the intelligent control platform, researchers can rapidly complete production testing by simulating ecological environments, providing scientific data to support the industry chain's upstream and downstream links.

Previously, testing new varieties required traveling to Xinjiang, southwest China's Yunnan Province, south China's Hainan Province, and other places for individual trials—a process that took three to five years and could result in financial losses, Mi said.

Photo shows Hami melon vines at an experimental field in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Now, by simulating the climates of three provincial-level regions in a single season, parameters become immediately clear, and projected profitability per mu (about 0.07 hectares) can be calculated, dramatically accelerating the introduction of new varieties.

The intelligent control platform also provides customized cultivation solutions, enhancing quality, increasing productivity, and improving profitability.

In Nanhu township of Hami, after following water and fertilizer adjustment recommendations provided by the platform, the sugar content of a specific melon variety increased significantly—generating an additional 3,000 yuan (about $417.64) per mu.

At an experimental site covering 6 mu in the city, researchers carry out technical verification and smart production trials for Hami melon cultivation in greenhouses. These efforts aim to address the challenges of traditional open-field farming, which depends on weather conditions, and to lower the technical and financial barriers of greenhouse cultivation.

Photo shows Hami melon cubes. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Over 30 similar experimental fields have been established nationwide, including those in Hainan's Sanya city and the Nujiang River valley in Yunnan.

In addition, the Hami melon fresh fruit industry chain platform has built a standards certification center, a brand center, a cold chain logistics center, and a financial settlement center.

Photo shows a Hami melon on a field. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

This comprehensive infrastructure is enabling the standardization of the Hami melon industry and the building of a nationwide warehousing and distribution network, providing financial support across the industry chain while driving the sector's expansion from a 100-billion-yuan industry to a 300-billion-yuan one.